Flight aptitude Launching model airplanes brings aerodynamics to life for schoolchildren in Soaring with Your Dream, a Global Corporate Citizenship program in China that Boeing has supported since 2009. Aviation education teacher Wang Qinian plays a key role in developing textbooks and conducting courses for the students and teachers in the program. He said participating in hands-on activities such as model airplane contests allows students to apply their creativity and may spur interest in aviation and aerospace careers. The program also can help boost self-confidence, Wang said, citing letters from teachers saying their students’ demeanor had changed after participating in the program. More than 75,000 students across China have participated in Soaring with Your Dream. Other education-related activity in China includes the FIRST Robotics program, for which Boeing sponsors 40 teams from multiple schools, as well as partnerships with universities to provide scholarships and support aviation clubs. All are helping China develop an ample and trained workforce to support its rapidly growing aviation sector. Ian Thomas, president of Boeing China, said the programs show Boeing is a genuine partner to China, which “meets with our own strategic objectives as a global enterprise because we want to create value around the world.” The reach of Soaring with Your Dream is not limited to students in the program. Wang noted they share what they learn with their family, friends and neighbors. With Boeing models displayed during lessons and company milestones discussed as part of aviation history, students likely will have a connection to aerospace—and the company—that lasts beyond their participation. n Febrau ry 2015 43
Frontiers February 2015 Issue
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